#06 Metric Measure (grades 8-12)

The perfect sequel to Measuring Length: continue the study of area, volume and mass, and the metric units that measure them. Build metric models that help you visualize the number of stars in the Milky Way. Improvise a sensitive balance to verify that a cubic centimeter holds 1 mL of water and has a mass of 1 gram. By extension, 1000 mL (one liter) has a mass of 1000 grams (one kilogram) or 2.2 pounds. Estimate rice grains by area, volume and mass.

Lesson 14: To develop a series of milligram masses to use with the light-duty balance previously constructed. To accurately determine the mass of a dollar bill and compare paper densities.

Lesson 15: To find the mass of rice contained in a baby food jar using a balance beam and graduated cylinder.

Lesson 16: To estimate the total number of rice grains in a baby food jar by counting the grains in a small mass and multiplying by the whole.

Lesson 17: To estimate the total number of rice grains in a baby food jar by counting the grains in a small volume and multiplying by the whole.

Lesson 18: To estimate the total number of rice grains in a baby food jar by spreading all the rice over a centimeter grid, then counting the average number of grains in a typical square.

Lesson 19: To explain an apparent area gain in a group of puzzle pieces.

Lesson 20: To use the metric system to estimate how long it takes a dripping faucet to waste a metric ton of water.

We encourage improvisation - it's one of the main goals of our hands-on approach! You and your students might invent a simpler, sturdier or more accurate system; might ask a better question; might design a better extension. Hooray for ingenuity! When this occurs, we'd love to hear about it and share it with other educators.

National Science Education Standards (NRC 1996)

TEACHING Standards

These 20 task cards promote excellence in science teaching by these NSES criteria:Teachers of science...A: ...plan an inquiry-based science program. (p. 30)B: ...guide and facilitate learning. (p. 32)C: ...engage in ongoing assessment of their teaching and of student learning. (p. 37)D: ...design and manage learning environments that provide students with the time, space, and resources needed for learning science. (p. 43)

CONTENT Standards

These 20 task cards contain fundamental content as defined by these NSES guidelines (p. 109).• Represent a central event or phenomenon in the natural world.• Represent a central scientific idea and organizing principle.• Have rich explanatory power.• Guide fruitful investigations.• Apply to situations and contexts common to everyday experiences.• Can be linked to meaningful learning experiences.• Are developmentally appropriate for students at the grade level specified.

Unifying Concepts and Processes

NSES Framework: Systems, order, and organization • Evidence, models and explanation • Constancy, change, and measurement Core Concepts/Processes: Once centimeter cube of water occupies one milliliter of volume with a mass of one gram.

Science as Inquiry (content standard A)

NSES Framework: Identify questions that can be answered through scientific investigations. • Design and conduct a scientific investigation. • Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data. • Develop descriptions, explanations, predictions, and models using evidence. • Think critically and logically to connect evidence and explanations. • Recognize and analyze alternative explanations and predictions. • Communicate scientific procedures and explanations. • Use mathematics in all aspects of scientific inquiry.Core Inquiries: Estimate the number of rice grains in a jar by volume; by weight; by area. Three different methods yield roughly the same result.

Physical Science (content standard B)

NSES Framework: Properties and changes of properties in matterCore Content: Objects have length, area, volume and mass quantified and measured with metric prefixes.

Earth and Space Science (content standard D)

NSES Framework: Origin and evolution of the universeCore Content: If each grain of salt represents a star like our sun, and 8 tiny grains fit into a cubic millimeter, the stars in our Milky Way galaxy fill 25 cubic meters.